Archive for September, 2019

Book release in Oslo

Morten and Ørjan signing books at Tanum

Ørjan Nilsson’s book Hjemkomst, about Morten’s solo projects from 1993 – 1998, was published on Thursday, 26 September. Ørjan and Morten marked the book release with an hour-long conversation with Audun Vinger at Tanum Karl Johan in Oslo, followed by an extensive signing session.

One of Vinger’s questions was about how it felt for Morten, who is used to being misquoted, to let someone else write about this important period of his life and career:

“I liked Ørjan’s approach to this project. I also liked the fact that he had written the book about Paul, and thought that he could do the same with me. Then both books would have one thing in common, and any differences would appear naturally. That’s important to any book. So we met up and talked, and took it from there. It’s been a lot of work. We had quite a lot of interview sessions, and that was something I pushed for in particular. Because if I’m going to do something like this, I want it to be as thorough as possible. It’s also been vital for me that Ørjan has to write his own parts, and I have to speak my own parts. So whenever I’m quoted in the book, I have often added my own written quotes afterwards to supplement the interview sessions. The rest has been up to Ørjan and the various other people who have been interviewed for the book. Just having it properly organized like this, that’s been important to me”, Morten said.

Dagsavisen’s reviewer Geir Rakvaag has written quite a positive review (paywall) of the book:

“Morten Harket has just turned 60 years old. The new book Hjemkomst provides an interesting look at six of those years, when his life and career took a new turn. (…) Much of the content is detailed info for those with a particular interest in Morten Harket as a musician, about other musicians he has worked with, producers, studios and record labels. (…) But Hjemkomst is just as much about Morten Harket as a person as it is about music. In particular his activism for East-Timor. (…) With this, Ørjan Nilsson has completed solid books about Paul Waaktaar-Savoy and Morten Harket. It’s fair to assume the next one will be about Magne Furuholmen.”

Morgenbladet’s reviewer Ando Woltmann also likes the book (paywall), although he’s not really a fan of Morten’s solo music:

“Nilsson’s book is full of lively interview subjects, often with opposing views, and is a good example of a topic that’s more fun to read about than listen to. Still, Morten Harket remains an enigma in Norwegian pop as he turns 60 – he’s a dreamer we all should be grateful to share this ride through the cosmos together with.”

To promote the book Morten was a guest on the NRK talkshow Lindmo on Friday night. The episode can be viewed here (starts at 19:30).

Ørjan Nilsson also appeared on NRK’s Nyhetsmorgen to talk about the book (starts at 01:49:00), as well as Kulturstripa.

Hjemkomst book launch

Book cover
(Photo by Julian Broad)

Ørjan Nilsson’s new book Hjemkomst – Morten Harket 1993-1998 will be launched with an event at the Tanum Karl Johan bookstore in Oslo on Thursday 26 September, where Ørjan and Morten will talk about the book with music writer Audun Vinger. There will be a signing session afterwards.

Ørjan and Morten will also discuss the book at the literature house in Bergen on Friday 27 September, as part of the Vill Vill Vest music conference.

There will be a number of additional media appearances as well.

Hjemkomst delves deep into the making of Poetenes Evangelium, Wild Seed and Vogts Villa, as well as unreleased projects such as Morten’s 1993 solo album produced by Alan Tarney and his 1998 collaboration with Swedish-Irish drum’n’bass duo Boolaboss.

In addition to extensive interview sessions with Morten, Ørjan Nilsson has talked with a large number of key players from this period, including Håvard Rem, Ole Sverre Olsen and Kjetil Bjerkestrand.

The book also goes into detail about Morten’s work to shed light on the conflict in East Timor and his passion for renewable energy solutions.

Hjemkomst can be pre-ordered from Norwegian book stores such as Tanum, Norli, Haugenbok and Bokkilden.

Morten turns 60

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Morten Harket, who turns 60 today, September 14th!

In connection with his birthday and the new book Hjemkomst, he’s on the cover of VG’s weekend magazine today. Inside there’s a 9-page interview by Stein Østbø, with new pictures by Janne Møller-Hansen.

“How I feel about [turning 60]… It’s an inherent process, the body keeps renewing itself. At the same time there’s a program in our system that controls aging. And that program hasn’t been written by us. I have just asked my body to delay the aging process until I’m a bit wiser”, he jokingly tells VG in the interview.

The interview is also available online here (paywall).

Waaktaar-Savoy update: Paul working on new album, Augie doing radio interviews

Picture by JS

Paul has been working in studios in Oslo this summer, on what seems to be a new album.

On 10 July he posted a video from his home studio featuring some new sounds.

Together with former a-ha drummer Per Hillestad he’s also done a few sessions at Studio Paradiso, one in late June and one in late July.

And on 15 August he did a string recording session at Studio Paradiso, featuring the a-ha string trio. The string score was done by Joe Mardin, and the Instagram post was tagged with #waaktaar and #newalbum.

Meanwhile, Augie did a couple of radio interviews last week, to promote his True August debut EP and the current radio single I “Can See You Clearly”. He appeared on NRK P2’s Kulturstripa on 28 August and NRK P13’s Selskapssjuk on 30 August.

Picture by Stian Andersen

On the True August EP, which has been getting great reviews, Paul plays the drums and bass (except for the programmed bass), while all guitar and synth parts were done by Augie. In the P13 interview he was asked what it’s like to work together with his father:

“It’s really cool. He’s a gear freak and really into strange drum machines, weird effects and stuff like that. He knows everything about music gear. So it’s great to get his input.

We listen to totally different music. So taking that gear and using it in a different way, that’s been really fun. There are some music genres that he usually stays away from. He’s not that keen on electronica, rap and stuff like that. So it’s cool to incorporate those influences in the music.

He’s very melodic, but in an indie-music style. Sometimes you want to abandon that and just create a certain atmosphere. That’s something he’s not that used to, so it’s cool to introduce that element.

But I have always assisted with his music as well. In the studio I would sometimes play on a song or come up with some ideas. It’s been a natural thing.”

Augie was also asked to pick one of his favorite tracks written by his father and he chose “Early Morning”.

White Xmas Lies album tracklist

The cover art unwrapped

A press release quoted on Northern Irish music website xsnoize.com has revealed more details about Magne’s upcoming solo album:

“‘White Xmas Lies’ is the third solo album by A-ha co-founder and keyboard player Magne Furuholmen. As the title suggests, it is an album with a different take on Christmas. A melancholic winter album, it consists of fourteen original new songs and two surprising cover versions.”

Although the release date is not mentioned, it will apparently be out on 25 October.

Looking at the full tracklist, the album does include the current single “This Is Now America”, plus what could be a new version of “Differences” (originally recorded by a-ha in 2001) and a cover version of AC/DC’s “Hells Bells”:

  1. There Goes Another Year
  2. The Light We Lost
  3. A Punch-Up On Boxing Day
  4. Caprice Des Dieux
  5. This Is Now America
  6. White Xmas Lies
  7. Differences
  8. Revelation Song
  9. The Season To Be Melancholy
10. Snow Is Falling
11. Dark Days, Dark Nights
12. Hells Bells
13. So Cold It’s Hard To Think
14. A Wintry Silence
15. The Ghost Of Xmas Past
16. Come Back Home

a-ha perform in Tallinn

Morten on stage in Tallinn
(Instagram screenshot)

a-ha were in Tallinn, Estonia this week, to perform at a private event held at the Pirita convent ruins on 29 August, according to Estonian media.

Drummer Karl Oluf Wennerberg posted a picture from the rehearsals, and there was also a picture of Magne, Karl Oluf and Even Ormestad visiting the Tallinn restaurant 180 Degrees.

According to the Estonian news site Elu24.ee, the event was the 50th birthday party of Rina Vosman, the wife of Russian oligarch Oleg Tinkov. Guests included Vladimir Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov and his wife.

A video clip of a-ha performing “Take On Me” in Tallinn has been posted on Instagram here. Oleg Tinkov has also posted a picture of him and his family on stage with Morten.

Also performing at the event was UK singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor. The three-day celebration is reported to have cost around two million euros.

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